Controlling device for firing-gear.



No. 772.244. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904. J. P. MEIGS & S. A. S. HAMMAR. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR FIRING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.27, 1902. I NO MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

invenl'ord/ 19; human: I M p No. 772,244. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904. J. P. MEIGS & s. A. s. HAMMAR. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR FIRING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.27, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' 72 anvemfozd/ QUihwooea I No. 772,244. I PATENTED OUT. 11 1904. J. F. MEIGS & S. A. S. HAMMAR. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR FIRING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

3 EHEETS-SHEET 3.

Y E ME 2 p nverfo'd/ Li i igc g I I M alifozncgo UNTTED STATEs Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT Orrrcn.

JOHN F. MEIGS AND SIGARD A. S. HAMMAR, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR FIRING-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,244, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed December 2'7, 1902. Serial No. 136,851. (No model.)

To all whom it 777/6LZ/ concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN F. Mules, a citi- Zen of the United States, and SIGARD A. S. HAMMAR, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, both residing at Bethlehem, in. the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Firing-Gear, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to means for controlling the position of firing devices in respect to the primer and primer-opening of a gun; and it consists in the means for shifting the firing devices, in opening and closing the gun, and in details of construction fully set forth hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation showing the breech of a gun and adjuncts with our improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the breechblock. Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the ejector. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation, partly in section, of the ejector and ring. Fig. 6 is an end view of the ejector-ring, and Fig. 7 a view of the primer-retainer detached.

To the breech end of the gun is pivoted the carrier-plate A, which supports the usual rotating breech-block B with mutilated threads, so that it can be passed into the breech-opening and then secured by a partial rotation. The breech-block is rotated by the swinging of the lever L, the connecting-link M extending between the lever L and the lug V on the breech-block, so that the swinging out of the lever opens the mechanism and the swinging in of the lever closes it, the front face of the lever being brought up against the gun when the mechanism is closed.

' The spindle O of the obturator is carried by the breech-block, being held in position by the nut 2, which, with the spindle, is free to turn in the block. A guide-block or support D for the slide F of the firing-gear is attached to the rear of the spindle, being so secured to it by .the half-nuts 3 3, which have collars 4 fitting the corresponding recesses of the spindle, that the latter is free to turn with respect to the guideblock. The said slide slides over the vent and constitutes a vent-cover.

The guide-block has a neck 5 protruding forward into the spindle for the purpose of carrying the primer wholly in the guide. This avoids any joint in the primer-socket.

To provide against the primer being thrown out by the outward air-current through the vent while the breech-block is entering the gun or from other causes while the mechanism is open, a primer-retainer J is set into the guide-block, being'held in its seat by a pin 6, which also serves to lock the guideblock from turning independently of the halfnuts 3 3. The lip 7 on the retainer is beveled or curved and projects over the head of the primer, so that on introducing the primer the lip of the retainer yields, springing back as soon as the primer-head has passed and retaining the primer in place.

The firing-gear is supported by the slide F, sliding in, the guide-block D, and the slide constitutes when pushed inward a vent-cover, and an inclined face .12 of the slide, (dotted lines, Fig. 2,) will seat the primer as the ventcover or slide is brought into firing position.

As stated, the slide F supports the firinggear, including a firing-rod M of any suitable character, and this slide is controlled by a sliding block K with an opening 1 into which projects the end of a spring-actuated lockingpin 12 on the slide.

The sliding block K has a lug 10, which enters a cam-groove w in a cam'V on the breech-block B, said groove having edges formed as shown in Fig. 3. The locking-pin 12 has a head-square seated in the sliding block and which by means of a key-lip on the pin fitting a keyway a in the slide is prevented from turning. The head of the pin has a central slot v, which when the slide is moved vertically out of position receives the end of the retainer J and prevents breaking the latter. In case it is desired to remove the primer without opening the breech the pin 12 is withdrawn from the sliding block K, and the slide F is slid away from the primer-seat, extracting the primer, as hereinafter described.

As the operating-lever is moved out in opening the breech mechanism the vent-cover or slide is free to fall away from the vent-hole a distance suflicient to throw the firing-gear out of line with the primer until the face 14, Fig. l, of the lug l0 rests on the face 15 of the camgroove 10 in the breech-block. If through any cause the vent-cover or slide fails to drop by its own Weight, the rotation of the breech-block causes the face 16 of the cam-groove to press against the face 17 of the lug 10 positively, carrying the sliding block K, together with the slide and its appurtenances, away from the vent. The cam is so designed that the rotation of the breechblock in opening or closing the mechanism will give a radial motion out and in, respectively, to the sliding block K, and the further rotation of the breech-block carries the vent-cover clear of the. primer.

hen the breech-block is rotated in closing the mechanism, the face 15 of the camgroove 20 of the breech-block by pressing against the face 1 of the stud 10 carries the sliding block K and the slide in toward the primer-hole.

To keep the firing device away from the primer as long as possible, the face 15 of the cam-groove w is of such shape that the slide after being carried part of the way to the primer hole is held stationary. Further movement is effected by the action of a cam face 6 of the lever L- on a cam-face s of the sliding block K lifting the latter, but not far enough to cover the primer, the final movement being effected by a suitable projection on the lever L. As shown, this is a spring-pin 18, having a rounded upper end, which by contact with the lower edge of the sliding block K fully raises the latter and the vent-cover, after which the end of the pin 18 under the action of a spring 19 enters a socket of the block K and locks the lever L frictionally in position, at the same time holding the block K and vent-cover in firing position.

To one side of the primer-hole is pivoted the extractor or ejector 1, swinging on a pin 2 and forked at its outer end to engage the rim of the primer. A spring 22 bears upon the extractor and tends to turn it to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the movement of the extractor to throw out the primer-casing is effected by the rotation of a ring E, Fig. 6, turning upon the pin 2 and in the extractorhub, Fig. 5, and having a shoulder 12, which engages a shoulder r at the under side of the extractor, the shoulder p being retained against the shoulder 1* by a torsional spring Q under initial pressure, which has its ends inserted into the ring a and extractor, respectively. The rotation of the ring is effected on the radial movement of the vcntcover or slide F. After the slide F has been so moved radially in opening the mechanism that the primer is wholly uncovered the projection or toe 20 on the slide is brought against the toe 21 -on the ring E, the shoulder 12 of which lies against the shoulder 9* of the extractor and the ringin turning rocks the extractor in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 4, extracting the primer or primer-casing, and the spring 22 after the toe 2O escapes the toe 21 then moves the ring and the extractor to their normal positions.

During the movement of the slide F in returning to its firing position the toe 20 engages the toe 21 and rotates the ring to carry the shoulder 79 away from the shoulder 0' on the extractor and against the action of the torsional spring (1 until the toe 2O slips past the toe 21, when the ring assumes its normal position, with its shoulder 12 against the shoulder r of the extractor.

Without limiting ourselves to the precise construction shown, we claim 1. The combination'with the breech-block and the obturator-spindle of a gun, of a guideblock supporting the firing-gear and jointed to the spindle and having a socket receiving the entire length of the primer, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the breech-block and the obturator-spindle of a gun, of a guideblock for supporting the firing-gear, provided with a neck extending into the spindle, and having a socket receiving the primer, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the breech-block, obturator-spindle provided with collars at the end, a guide-block having a neck extending into the spindle and socketed to receive the primer, and half-nuts fitted to the collared part of the spindle and confined thereto by the guide-block, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the breech-block, obturator-spindle provided with collars at the end, a guide-block having a neck extending into the spindle and socketed to receive the primer, half-nuts fitted to the collared part of the spindle and confined thereto by the guide-block, and the retaining-pin 6, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the guide-block having a socket for receiving the primer, of a flexible primer-retainer having a lip adapted to extend over the head of the primer to retain the same in position, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the guide-block having a socket for receiving the primer, of a flexible primer-retainer having a lip extending over the head of the primer to retain the same, said lip being beveled, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination of the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block mounted on the spindle and having a socket adapted to receive a primer, and a vent-cover slidable on the guide-block and provided with an inclined face 00, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the socketed guideblock and the primer-retainer J, of the ventcover or slide, the sliding block, and the locking-pin 12 sliding transversely of the slide and having a sloto in its head, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, and the vent-cover or slide F, of the sliding block K detachably connected to said slide and provided with a stud 10, and a cam on the breechblocglz engaging said stud, substantially as set fort 10. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, the vent-cover or slide, and the sliding block K detachably connected to said slide, of the operating-lever L provided with bearings for efiecting the final movement of said sliding block, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, the vent-cover or slide, and the sliding block K, detachably connected to said slide, of the operating-lever L, its cam edge 25, and the spring-pin 18, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, the vent-cover or slide, and the sliding block K detachably connected to the slide, of the operating-lever L, its cam edge 6, and the spring-pin 18 adapted to a socket in said block, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, and the vent-cover or slide, of a sliding block detachably connected with said slide, a cam for actuating said sliding block, and a lever for actuatilng said breech-block, substantially as set Ort 14. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, and the vent-cover or slide, of a sliding block detachably connected with said slide, a cam for imparting the initial closing movement to the sliding block and slide, an operating-lever, and bearings on the lever for completing the said movement, substantially as set forth.

15. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, and the vent-cover or slide, of a cam on the breechblock constructed to impart the initial inward movement to the slide and then retain the same stationary during the major rotation of the breech-block, an operating-lever for rotating the breech -block, and means on the lever whereby the final movement is imparted from said lever to the slide as the breech-block completes its rotation, substantially as set forth.

16. The combination with the breech-block, the obturator-spindle, the guide-block, the ejector, the vent-cover or slide, and the firing mechanism carried thereby, of the ring turning in the hub of the ejector, the spring 22 bearing on the ejector, the torsional spring 9 connecting the ejector and ring, and engaging shoulders on the ejector and ring, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN F. MEIGS. SIGARD A. S. HAMMAR.

Witnesses:

LEIGHTON N. D. MrXsELL, WM. T. AoHENBAoH. 

